Latest news with #IWeigh
Irish Examiner
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Podcast Corner: Jameela Jamil aims to be uninspiring on Wrong Turns
Jameela Jamil, an actress best known for The Good Place, a sitcom with a good idea that faded once it stretched past its first season, hosted the I Weigh podcast for four years. It ran from a month into lockdown in 2020 to the end of 2024, expanding from, as the title suggests, ideas of body shaming to talk of activism in local politics, disinformation, and dismantling gender violence. Perhaps she grew tired of the often heavy content, or maybe she just listened to a lot of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day and felt inspired, but either way, she's back with a new podcast called Wrong Turns - 'for anyone who feels like their life is one disaster after another'. Jamil explains at the outset of the first episode: 'This is a podcast that celebrates shame and indignity. I'm just fucking sick of all of the inspiration we're supposed to draw from all of the terrible moments in life, and I feel like we're overdosing on it online, and I just want somewhere where I can chill and just own my clusterfucks without it needing to have a silver fucking lining. And I wanted to bring my friends on to commiserate with me. We are anti-inspiration, pro-commiseration.' She's got a lot of celebrity pals to draw on - the first episode is with Mae Martin, a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and recording artist; and Bob the Drag Queen, a winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race. The second features We're Here to Help hosts Jake Johnson and Gareth Reynolds, and Eric Edelstein ( Parks and Recreation, Twin Peaks). 'Do you feel like disaster is drawn onto you?' Jamil asks them. Cue some very giddy banter as they throw themselves into the topic. It escalates so quickly that, not eight minutes in, Bob is telling a story about a vicious dressing down he gave to a pimply kid who was making fun of him when they were in seventh grade together. 'And then next year he's in a wheelchair. Because it wasn't a pimple. It was a brain tumour. He's dead. Fully dead to this day.' It's a stark story but it's played to Jamil and Martin laughing hysterically (and nervously?). A really weird moment. Whether you want to continue with the podcast after that is up to you. Finding Lucinda: Last autumn, The Road to Joni podcast traversed the US on the way to the Hollywood Bowl for a pair of rarely spotted Joni Mitchell shows, talking to various fans and followers along the way. Finding Lucinda is in the same vein as young singer-songwriter ISMAY goes on a road trip of self-discovery to trace the roots of their musical hero, Lucinda Williams, talking to collaborators and archivists along the way.
SBS Australia
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Why Jameela Jamil thinks we have Stockholm syndrome — for the patriarchy
Jameela Jamil's bold advocacy has won her legions of fans — and critics — all over the world. Source: Getty / Jacopo Raule This article contains references to eating disorders. Jameela Jamil is the first to admit she's not perfect. In fact, it's something the English actor, writer, podcaster, and advocate actively embraces. "Women have this pressure that is put upon us — and then we put upon ourselves — that we have to be perfect from the start," she says ahead of her "very fun, very unfiltered" Australian speaking tour. Best known for her roles in The Good Place and Marvel's She-Hulk, Jamil has garnered a loyal following for her direct, passionate, and often humorous commentary on everything from body image, mental health, and gender equality to , disability, and LGBTIQ+ rights. Her anti-perfectionist stance has made her something of a poster girl for it. "I think the reason I've made it quite far in my life for someone who came from nothing and didn't know anyone, had no connections, is because I have the audacity of a man," says Jamil. I have the audacity to know that it's not my responsibility to be perfect when I just start trying something for the first time. "I don't know if I'm going to be good at it, but I throw myself in and I am proud of myself for that." It's an attitude that the 39-year-old credits with giving her a life that's a far cry from the "dignified" one she envisioned when she was younger. A chance encounter with a producer in a London pub in 2008 led Jamil, who was working as an English teacher, to land a job as a TV presenter. She later moved into radio presenting, becoming the first female solo host of BBC Radio 1's Official Chart show, before upping sticks to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. It was there, after securing her first-ever acting role in 2016 as British socialite Tahani Al-Jamil in the hit TV series The Good Place, that she found global fame. But as her profile increased, so did her impulse to speak out. "I don't know how to not say anything," she says. "It doesn't feel like there's a choice whether or not you can say something when you see injustice." Jamil's growing frustration with women's value being measured by a number on the scale led the self-described "feminist-in-progress" to found the I Weigh movement in 2018. "If you want something to change, if you complain about a problem, then surely it would only make sense, logically, to try and do something about it?" she says of her advocacy efforts. Beginning as a social media campaign encouraging people to publicly celebrate their achievements and contributions to society rather than focus on their size or appearance, I Weigh later evolved into a "community allyship platform". It was relaunched last year as Move For Your Mind. While Jamil's unashamed outspokenness and advocacy have been praised by many and led to plaudits such as being named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential people in 2019, she cringes at being put on a pedestal or viewed as "some type of guru or master". It's not a call to arms … I'm more trying to start big, public conversations about [these issues] so we can stop just being lulled into submission all of the time. "It's normal to care. It's not normal to not care." Naturally, there have been questions about whether a statuesque, conventionally attractive cisgender woman (Jamil's name literally means "beautiful" in Arabic) in Hollywood is qualified to speak about issues like diet culture and fatphobia, particularly when much of the associated harm is perpetuated by celebrities and influencers. Jamil acknowledges she is more privileged than most. At the same time, she has experienced firsthand the long-term harm that comes with trying to meet unrealistic and ever-changing beauty standards, as well as how brutally women, particularly those in the public eye, can be treated for simply existing. Early in her career, Jamil was subject to tabloid scrutiny in the UK, which criticised her for being too thin and then later mocked her for gaining weight as a result of medication she was taking. At the same time, she was battling an eating disorder that had developed in her teens, something Jamil says has caused lasting damage to her bone density, digestive system, kidneys, liver, and heart. She says part of the pull to conform to beauty standards stems from an underlying desire to belong. "There's this feeling of 'I'll be left behind if I don't obey the group and do the thing that will allow me to be included,' because it's real that if you are skinnier or you look younger or you have pretty privilege, you're more likely to be included." As well as speaking publicly about the racism, classism and appearance-based abuse she experienced growing up — including being "very violently" bullied for being South Asian — Jamil has been vocal about the impact of multiple chronic health conditions she's experienced throughout her life, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, mercury poisoning and coeliac disease. Her propensity to be an "open book" about her life has sometimes come back to bite her. In 2020, a string of Instagram posts went viral, alleging Jamil had fabricated details about her injuries and illnesses. The author of the posts even went so far as to suggest Jamil had Munchausen syndrome, a mental disorder in which a person fakes or exaggerates illness to gain attention and sympathy. Jamil publicly refuted the claims, as did her long-term partner, musician James Blake, saying they highlighted how people with chronic health conditions and invisible disabilities are often disbelieved. While Jamil has endured her fair share of trolling and abuse online, not all of the criticism levelled at her has been unjustified. One such example is her past "slut-shaming" of other female celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, and Rihanna. Jamil says she regrets some of the things she's said and how she's said them and takes accountability for that. "But you can regret something and still be glad that you did it because that's how I learned what to do differently next time," she says of how she used to communicate online. "If I hadn't made those mistakes, I wouldn't have then gone on to go, 'Oh, okay, I actually need to change course', and this has made me a better and wiser person." In fact, self-accountability has become a core tenet of Jamil's advocacy. Amid the rise of far-right extremism around the world, infighting among the left, and some hard-won rights and freedoms, particularly for women, "taking a huge backswing", Jamil's belief that "perfection is the enemy of progress" is perhaps more vital than ever. "We don't really have time for everyone to wait to be the perfect feminist or the perfect activist," she says. You just have to scrap in now before we end up in a bunch of red coats with white bonnets. It's no surprise to Jamil that the recent sociopolitical regression, particularly in the US, has coincided with thinness being glamorised once again and the increasing normalisation of and , largely pedalled via social media. Rather, she says, it's "by design". "The only reason any grown adult man would want a grown adult woman to look and behave and have the body of a barely pubescent girl is to keep her small in every way; make sure she's not eating enough so she's not got the strength to fight for her rights, make sure she's consumed and worried and panicking over every tiny 'imperfection' on her face so she's distracted, she doesn't have time to organise; make sure she's not sleeping enough, make sure she's got low self-esteem." But Jamil says she's perplexed why, after so much positive progress around things like fat liberation, body positivity, feminism, and understanding the misogynistic roots of beauty standards, women are still willing to comply. "It's honestly creeped me out watching grown women in 2025 lap it up again as if we learned nothing in the last 10 years," she says while also emphasising she supports people's right to do what they want to their own bodies. "It's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind happened, and everyone's brains just got wiped of everything that we all collectively discussed, because we have Stockholm syndrome for the patriarchy — and we have to just own that." Jamil, admittedly, isn't entirely immune to the pressure to conform. "There's no way I would wear the dresses I wear if I didn't live with a man that I wanted to sleep with. I would be wearing much more comfortable clothes, I wouldn't wash my hair, I don't think I'd brush my teeth," she says with a laugh. "We're all guilty of it — but to what extent are you willing to punish or risk your body, your life, and your mental and physical health for a patriarchal standard?" The beauty and diet industry will always make sure that you feel like a pig, no matter what you do. The cyclical and, at times dangerous nature of beauty standards is largely why Jamil has sworn off undergoing cosmetic surgery and treatments, such as . Like imperfection, ageing naturally and entering her "crone era" is something she's actively embracing — and hopes to inspire others to do as well. ('Crone era' is a term used in some feminist circles to describe a phase marked by the wisdom of age.) "I want my 85-year-old self to like who I am now. I want her to feel like I was looking out for her, that I was excited for her arrival, and I wasn't dreading it, and doing everything I could to avoid it. "I don't want to preserve youth forever … These wrinkles that I'm getting are ones that have been formed from me frowning and figuring out how f**ked the world is, and I'm glad for them. They're lines of wisdom." With so much heaviness in the world right now, Jamil's focusing her energy on injecting more humour into her work. "Everything's getting too dark. It's too dark. I can't take it anymore. I'm going to explode," she says. Next month, she's launching a new comedy podcast, Wrong Turns, which will feature "some of the funniest people in the world" sharing their "best disaster stories". "Every time you hear about something terrible or embarrassing happening to someone, there's always this need for us to turn it into an inspirational, teachable moment … [but] sometimes you don't get wiser. "Sometimes things are just shit, and we need to accept that and laugh about it." An Evening with Jameela Jamil will take place at Sydney's State Theatre on 26 April, Brisbane's QPAC Concert Hall on 27 April, and Melbourne's Hamer Hall on 28 April. Readers seeking support for body image concerns and eating disorders can contact Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673. More information is available at
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ashley Tisdale says she had 2 very different postpartum experiences following her 2 births
Ashley Tisdale says she had very different postpartum experiences following her two births. The "High School Musical" star felt "robbed" of her first experience as a mother due to postpartum depression. But welcoming her second child to the family was a "very easy transition," she said. Ashley Tisdale, 39, is excited that she got to be a mom again. The "High School Musical" star told Us Weekly that welcoming her second child was a chance to experience motherhood again since she felt "robbed" of her first experience due to postpartum depression, or PPD. "To be able to have this experience again and to have it in such a great way and be so present, it makes me cherish every single moment," Tisdale said. Tisdale and her husband, Christopher French, married in 2014. They welcomed their first daughter, Jupiter, in 2021 and their second daughter, Emerson, in September. So far, it's been a "really easy transition" for the family, she said. When she first became a mom, Tisdale said she was nervous and didn't know what to expect. "With the second, you just feel so much more confident," she said. She also credits her husband for his support. "I feel like we balance each other out," Tisdale said. "There are times where Chris is really the fun parent and I might be a little bit more strict. And then, there's times where he's a little bit more strict with scheduling, and I'm a really fun parent." In a September post on her website, written about two weeks after she gave birth to her second child, Tisdale reflected on how different her two postpartum experiences were. When she had her first child, "something just wasn't clicking for me as a new mom," Tisdale wrote. "I had expected to feel certain things as a new mother, but I didn't. Instead, I spent a lot of time feeling sad and anxious—and guilty about feeling that way," she continued. "It took me a while to realize that I was going through postpartum depression. Fortunately, I came out of it in time, but I remember feeling robbed of the joy I'd been hoping to experience." But thankfully, things were different with her second child. "When I first looked into Emerson's eyes, I immediately had the connection I'd dreamed of. This postpartum period has been so much easier because I feel like my normal self, and I feel 100% connected with my daughters," she wrote. Tisdale isn't the only celebrity mom who has been open about experiencing postpartum depression. In a March 2017 essay for Glamour, Chrissy Teigen shared that taking antidepressants helped her with postpartum depression. She was diagnosed with the condition after giving birth to her daughter, Luna, in April 2016. During a 2020 episode of Jameela Jamil's "I Weigh" podcast, Reese Witherspoon shared that she experienced postpartum depression after the birth of two of her three children. Based on data from the CDC, one in eight women in the US report experiencing symptoms of depression after giving birth. Some symptoms of postpartum depression include severe mood swings, crying too much, and having difficulties bonding with the newborn baby. A representative for Tisdale did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ashley Tisdale says not going through postpartum depression twice has allowed her to be a more present mom
Ashley Tisdale says she had very different postpartum experiences following her two births. The "High School Musical" star felt "robbed" of her first experience as a mother due to postpartum depression. But welcoming her second child to the family was a "very easy transition," she said. Ashley Tisdale, 39, is excited that she got to be a mom again. The "High School Musical" star told Us Weekly that welcoming her second child was a chance to experience motherhood again since she felt "robbed" of her first experience due to postpartum depression, or PPD. "To be able to have this experience again and to have it in such a great way and be so present, it makes me cherish every single moment," Tisdale said. Tisdale and her husband, Christopher French, married in 2014. They welcomed their first daughter, Jupiter, in 2021 and their second daughter, Emerson, in September. So far, it's been a "really easy transition" for the family, she said. When she first became a mom, Tisdale said she was nervous and didn't know what to expect. "With the second, you just feel so much more confident," she said. She also credits her husband for his support. "I feel like we balance each other out," Tisdale said. "There are times where Chris is really the fun parent and I might be a little bit more strict. And then, there's times where he's a little bit more strict with scheduling, and I'm a really fun parent." In a September post on her website, written about two weeks after she gave birth to her second child, Tisdale reflected on how different her two postpartum experiences were. When she had her first child, "something just wasn't clicking for me as a new mom," Tisdale wrote. "I had expected to feel certain things as a new mother, but I didn't. Instead, I spent a lot of time feeling sad and anxious—and guilty about feeling that way," she continued. "It took me a while to realize that I was going through postpartum depression. Fortunately, I came out of it in time, but I remember feeling robbed of the joy I'd been hoping to experience." But thankfully, things were different with her second child. "When I first looked into Emerson's eyes, I immediately had the connection I'd dreamed of. This postpartum period has been so much easier because I feel like my normal self, and I feel 100% connected with my daughters," she wrote. Tisdale isn't the only celebrity mom who has been open about experiencing postpartum depression. In a March 2017 essay for Glamour, Chrissy Teigen shared that taking antidepressants helped her with postpartum depression. She was diagnosed with the condition after giving birth to her daughter, Luna, in April 2016. During a 2020 episode of Jameela Jamil's "I Weigh" podcast, Reese Witherspoon shared that she experienced postpartum depression after the birth of two of her three children. Based on data from the CDC, one in eight women in the US report experiencing symptoms of depression after giving birth. Some symptoms of postpartum depression include severe mood swings, crying too much, and having difficulties bonding with the newborn baby. A representative for Tisdale did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours. Read the original article on Business Insider
